3 comments:

I've been to East Timor. Eight years ago. I saw a very depressed country with little infrastructure, electricity operating only a few hours a day, independence only a few months old, and residual trauma from the militia attacks of 99 still very fresh. There was a UN war crimes tribunal taking place in Los Palos, a pretty desolate village. Not much evidence of a spectacle for me. During the Indonesian invasion of 75, the country was cut off from the rest of the world. A handful of foreign journalists were murdered.

It was the dry season. A very arid climate and yellow landscape. The people were a bit Polynesian in appearance, very unlike Indonesians of Java. Difficult to get around--no real public transportation between the cities.

I assume you've heard the Ginger Baker CD with Bill Frisell where he does a piece dedicated to East Timor.

Jesse Goin has written about 125 features on experimental music for a variety of electronic and print journals, including Paris Transatlantic, The Wire, Compost & Height, and his blog, crow with no mouth.
Since May 2011, Jesse has presented 29 concerts, comprising 82 musicians, as crow with no mouth promotions. crow with no mouth promotions is dedicated to presenting electro-acoustic composition and improvisation in a venue, Studio Z in lowertown St. Paul, designed for listening.